


Two Melodies

by chanyeolk



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 06:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6789772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanyeolk/pseuds/chanyeolk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes things work out, and other times they don't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Melodies

_September_

The space around Baekhyun seemed inexplicably empty, parking lot desolate and streetlights broken. Shadows were seemingly cast by the abundance of stars overhead. There were so many that night, more than he had seen in a long time. Without the usual overcast skies he could see them plainly, along with the mountains in the distance, dark charcoal fading into snowy white on the summits. It was rather bright for being so late.

Baekhyun was sat on top of Chanyeol’s car, feet dangling through the open sunroof and no music playing. The breeze and the light snoring of Chanyeol across the backseat was enough of a perfect melody to fill the silence. Baekhyun wouldn’t have it any other way. He looked so peaceful while asleep, and something selfish deep inside of Baekhyun wanted to wake him and spend this moment with him, but he knew better after the long drive they’d both had. Fourteen hours behind the wheel and he deserved his time of peace.

There was no certainty in where the two of them were going, but it didn’t really seem to matter anyways. He looked so content and relieved when Baekhyun agreed to join him on a drive. That’s what was important at the time. Chanyeol held Baekhyun’s hand over bridges and along backroads, caressed his thigh on the highway, and kissed him gently at stoplights. Most of the ride was quiet, aside from content hums when they’d exchange delicate smiles. Baekhyun would just turn back and look out the window, but really he’d watch Chanyeol’s smile turn softer in the reflection.

They hit a drive-thru for dinner; grease had never been so good. French fries still laid along the driver’s seat floorboards from where Baekhyun had thrown them at Chanyeol to make him laugh. It worked. Baekhyun loved the small victories like that.

Chanyeol stirred. Baekhyun held his finger to his lips; to whom he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was for the wind. He quickly turned over onto his back and laid still again. Baekhyun wished there was room for him to join Chanyeol, but the seat was too narrow unless he were to lay on top of him.

Sliding back through the sunroof, Baekhyun settled in the passenger seat. All of the windows were open, letting a nice breeze flow through the vehicle, but he found himself getting chillier and chillier as the minutes passed. If only he were willing to wake Chanyeol so he could lay in his arms. His eyes followed the reflection in the rearview mirror to Chanyeol’s face, eyes closed and lips slightly parted. Baekhyun was so painfully in love with the boy. Even after three years together, he still felt like he had just fallen for him. Baekhyun never wanted it to end. He wanted to be as deeply in love with Chanyeol as he was in that moment for the rest of his life.

“Are you awake?” Chanyeol asked, his voice heavy and deep with sleep. Baekhyun smiled to himself and hummed in acknowledgement. Chanyeol’s eyes were still closed. Maybe if he stayed really quiet, Chanyeol would go back to sleep and they’d be able to continue their adventure later after he was much more rested. “I’m hungry, Baek.”

Chanyeol always got whiney when he was sleepy. Sometimes it annoyed Baekhyun. Other times, he found it cute and endearing.  Looking over the headrest of the seat, Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol rubbed at his eyes and stretched his arms out. He looked so young and cute like that; just the smallest sliver of his stomach peeking out of his shirt when his arms raised above his head. Baekhyun wanted to kiss it. He wanted to kiss every inch of Chanyeol. Instead, he just sighed and smiled a little sadly at his boyfriend. He thought he loved him a little bit too much sometimes, really.

“There might be some crackers or something in my bag still.”

Chanyeol shook his head. “I ate those earlier.”

“Then I guess we should go somewhere, yeah? I can drive.”

“Not a chance,” Chanyeol laughed, groggily getting ready to hop back behind the wheel.

It was far too chilly to leave the windows open, but the feeling of the air running across their skin and their hair blowing around was too nice. Baekhyun wanted to be able to look through the window or up through the sunroof and still see stars, so they cranked the heat and made a pact not to complain about being cold. Chanyeol’s eyes were more on Baekhyun than they were on the road.

They stopped at the same fast food place as they had on the previous drive, but went inside this time. There was no throwing of french fries, mostly because Baekhyun hadn’t slept yet and began to at the table. Chanyeol ran fingers through the smaller boy’s hair with one hand and ate with the other, only helping Baekhyun to doze off even more. Chanyeol let him for a while before deciding they should head back home. Then he slid an arm around Baekhyun’s waist and helped walk his sleepy boyfriend back to the car.

Baekhyun slept for about three hours. In those few hours, Chanyeol drove in silence. Many of the radio stations he liked were out of range and his phone had died earlier in the morning, so he didn’t have many other choices. He held Baekhyun’s hand in his next to the gear shift the whole time. It made him sad to look at their entwined fingers.

When Baekhyun woke up, he immediately looked to Chanyeol to make sure the night before wasn’t a dream. He was still there and still smiling, though. The sun had risen while he was asleep and he missed the stars, but he knew that one day he and Chanyeol would probably find themselves back at that parking lot again. It was too beautiful and relaxing to not return at some point, even if it wouldn’t be for a long time. Baekhyun smiled to himself, thinking that they could go on another drive like that or even a longer one as part of their honeymoon if they ever got married. The smile only got bigger, until Chanyeol was asking him what he was so smiley about. Baekhyun could only shake his head. He’d tell Chanyeol another time.

It was another five hours or so until they got back to their shared apartment. As much as he enjoyed the surprise road trip, Baekhyun was ready to lay in their own bed and be out of the car for a while. Chanyeol pulled into their parking space but left the car running when he got out of the car.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Chanyeol said, the same sad smile still on his face even after all that time.

“Are you going somewhere?” Baekhyun was still giddily happy from everything he and Chanyeol had just done over the past twenty-four hours.

“Sort of,” he answered, shoving his hands awkwardly in his pocket when he and Baekhyun started walking up the steps.

They reached the door and Baekhyun was about to kiss Chanyeol goodbye when Chanyeol pulled his hands out to set them on Baekhyun’s shoulders. Everything from the way Chanyeol was touching him to the painful expression on his face to the overall aura of the situation felt so wrong to Baekhyun. He didn’t like how serious it was when Chanyeol wasn’t a serious person. He should’ve been laughing and walking into the apartment with Baekhyun where they would both take a shower, usually together, and then lay down for a nap. They’d make dinner together and watch a movie while they ate. Chanyeol would tell Baekhyun about some part of the project he was working on at work wasn’t going right and Baekhyun would tell him that he knew things would sort themselves out. And they _would_ sort themselves out because they always do. Then Chanyeol would thank Baekhyun and give him a kiss and tell him how he loves him, and Baekhyun would cuddle up to Chanyeol because  _holy shit, Chanyeol. I love you so much._

None of that was happening, though. Instead, Chanyeol was looking everywhere but Baekhyun and the smaller boy was trying really hard to tell himself that this wasn’t anything serious. Chanyeol was just pulling a bad joke. He did that sometimes. That’s all this was. it had to be.

“I’m leaving, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said solemnly.

Baekhyun laughed, “Where are you going? Is this for work?”

It was so obvious that Chanyeol didn’t know how to do this. “No,” he started, but cut himself off. He was shaking his head and his eyebrows were furrowed and he looked so upset with everything. “I’m leaving you.”

All Baekhyun could do was wait for the _just kidding_ that would never come.

“Jongdae came and grabbed my important things while we were gone.”

“The trip?” Baekhyun was so confused. “What was that, then?”

“I wanted our last memories together to be happy. And peaceful. Not us arguing, Baekhyun.”

It was true. They had been arguing more, but it was always resolved quickly. They always fixed things.

Baekhyun didn’t know what to say. “Three years, Chanyeol. We have been together for three years?”

“They have been three wonderful years, too, but I can’t do this, Baek. I love you, but I’m no longer _in love_ with you.”

“Don’t say that to me.”

“I can’t stay.”

“So _leave_ ,” Baekhyun spit. He didn’t mean to sound angry, but he didn’t know how else to express the hurt he felt.

Chanyeol was panicking. Baekhyun could see it in his eyes. “Come on, Baek. I don’t want us to end like this.”

They were both silent. Chanyeol looked more hurt than Baekhyun, but really Baekhyun was suffering.

“I didn’t want us to end at all,” he choked out, but he refused to let himself cry in front of Chanyeol.

Chanyeol’s shoulders slumped and he pulled Baekhyun in for one last hug, running his fingers through the smaller, broken boy’s hair. Really, it hurt him too. Maybe not nearly as much, but he was losing something that he worked at for three years as well.

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol whispered, kissing the top of Baekhyun’s head.

Baekhyun only pried himself out of the taller man’s arms and waved him off. He couldn’t look him in the eyes. He didn't want to hear him. With shaking hands, he opened the door to their apartment and walked inside without looking at Chanyeol again. He could feel Chanyeol’s presence outside the door for a long time after closing and locking it.

Only after he was sure that Chanyeol left did Baekhyun finally break down and cry.

 

 

_October_

Baekhyun was only ever able to sleep on the couch. Every time he so much as looked at the bed in _their_ bedroom, his stomach felt like it was contorting in on itself. A lot of Chanyeol’s things were still in that room, and sometimes Baekhyun would wind up running his fingers along his albums or trinkets. Occasionally he’d wear one of Chanyeol’s shirts or a pair of his pajama pants, and every time he’d see himself in the mirror, he’d smile. The smiles always turned into frowns, though. Always.

After three weeks, it still hurt like it just happened. He felt a longing for Chanyeol more than he felt anything else. He really just wanted to see his face again, to go back in time like it never happened. Baekhyun wanted to take the silly arguments back so that Chanyeol wouldn’t feel any need to break up with him.

Baekhyun felt so stupid most of the time. He had dreamed of marrying Chanyeol. He wanted a wedding outside, like in a park or on the beach. They would have gotten married in the Spring, when flowers are just starting to bloom and the weather is beginning to warm up. They would have both worn white suits, but Baekhyun would have worn a light yellow bowtie and Chanyeol a light blue because the color looked great on him. It would have only been close family and friends. Kyungsoo would have been Baekhyun’s best man and Jongdae would have been Chanyeol’s. Now it was just a silly fantasy that he’d had wasted years wishing for.

Kyungsoo visited Baekhyun almost every day, just to check on him. He’d remind him to eat and to bathe. Honestly, without him, Baekhyun probably would have never done either.

“You smell,” Kyungsoo would say as soon as he walked in the door.

Baekhyun never had the energy to reply with anything more than _thanks_ or _I know._

Only once did Kyungsoo ever mention Chanyeol.

“I saw Chanyeol yesterday,” Kyungsoo said, making Baekhyun flinch at his name. He hated the effect that just his name still had on him. “He was at the bookstore and looked about as good as you do.”

Baekhyun just shrugged and continued watching TV, but his thoughts bounced all over the place. Chanyeol wasn’t the type to read, but Baekhyun was. Was he there because it reminded him of Baekhyun? Did he miss Baekhyun?

“Have you talked to him since the break up?”

“No.”

“Are you going to?”

“No.”

It was obvious that Kyungsoo was getting more and more concerned every day, though his concern came out more as irritation. He always sighed too much in exasperation whenever Baekhyun talked, or didn’t talk, about Chanyeol. Baekhyun would never say anything, but it made him feel like shit most of the time.

“I talked to him. He asked about you. I lied and said that you have been doing great.”

Baekhyun turned away from the television and smiled at Kyungsoo. “I _am_ doing great.”

Kyungsoo only scoffed.

It wasn’t long until Baekhyun started crying, though. Kyungsoo wrapped an arm around Baekhyun and silently swore never to bring up Chanyeol again. At least, he wouldn’t for a while. Not until Baekhyun was ready. _If_ he ever was ready.

 

_November_

Baekhyun boxed up all of Chanyeol’s things and gave them to Jongdae on a day when he was feeling particularly motivated. He moved all the clothes that Chanyeol left behind into the box first, only keeping one pair of pajama pants that might as well have been his at that point. Baekhyun stole them so often when Chanyeol still lived with him that he couldn’t even remember the last time that Chanyeol had worn them. Next were all of Chanyeol’s albums he left behind. There were only four, and they were the ones that had “ _their songs_ ” on them. He must have specially instructed Jongdae to leave them behind when he was cleaning out the apartment for him. Baekhyun’s not sure if he left them to spare himself the pain or to torture Baekhyun.

All of Chanyeol’s trinkets and random things end up needing their own box. There was a pair of expensive headphones that Chanyeol probably missed more than he missed Baekhyun. Some stuffed animals end up in the box, including a few that he got for Baekhyun. Most of the items were just random things that would mean nothing to anyone else, but reminded Baekhyun of Chanyeol every time he saw them.

Jongdae came and picked them up after work one day. “Should I tell you his reaction when I give him all this stuff back?”

Baekhyun smiled and shook his head, “That’s not what this is about.”

“Moved on?”

“Not quite just yet,” Baekhyun chuckled. “I’ll get there, though.”

Jongdae put the boxes in his trunk with the help of Baekhyun. They talked for a while at his car, just catching up. Baekhyun seemed much better than what he had last heard. At least, he seemed to be taking care of himself more.

“Are you going to go to Chanyeol’s birthday party?” He asked, but he already knew the answer.

“No,” Baekhyun shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Send him my regards, though, Jongdae.”

“Will do, bud,” Jongdae said solemnly, climbing behind the wheel of his car.

Baekhyun waved him off with a kind smile.

Kyungsoo didn’t come around as much, probably because he no longer deemed it necessary. Baekhyun left the apartment on occasion to go grocery shopping or even go out with friends. He cooked again. He cleaned the apartment. He took care of himself.

Some days, he’d hide himself away in bed or on the couch. Those were just the really bad days, though. After almost two months, he was mostly okay. It still hurt, and probably always would, but he really was getting better.

That is, until Chanyeol’s birthday rolled around. The day put Baekhyun on edge enough as it was. Then Chanyeol decided to call. Baekhyun stared at his phone for a while, unsure of what to do because he and Chanyeol hadn’t spoken since the breakup. But his hands moved on their own and he was answering the phone with a quiet, “Chanyeol?”

It was him, too. Part of Baekhyun believed it might have been Jongdae on his phone or something, but no. It was Chanyeol. He was drunk, but it was still Chanyeol.

“It’s my birthday,” Chanyeol said, but it was whiney and dragged out. “You’re not at my party.”

“You’re drunk,” Baekhyun replied. He was mostly just confirming it out loud for himself. Chanyeol and he wouldn’t have been talking under any other circumstances.

Chanyeol rambled on for a good five minutes about his birthday party, and Baekhyun let him, until he went quiet for a while. Baekhyun was even about to hang up, thinking Chanyeol passed out or set his phone down in his intoxicated state.

“I miss you, Baek,” Chanyeol whispered across radio waves. “I love you.”

Baekhyun hung up after that in a panic. He didn’t need to hear it. It was just drunken lies. He told himself that over and over again while Chanyeol tried to call him over and over again. Eventually he turned his phone off. He got next to no sleep that night, and when he got up in the morning and turned his phone back on, he had four missed calls from Chanyeol and a lot of drunken texts that he could hardly read. Each phone call had a voicemail attached.

“Where did you go?” The first one started off with. “I’m sorry for whatever I said that upset you. Please pick up the phone again. I want to hear your voice.”

The second one was a lot less understandable. It was something along the lines of, “Why did you give the albums back? All I do now is listen to the songs.”

The third: “Do you hate me?”

The last one was a sober Kyungsoo. “I don’t know if you said anything, but I’m going to assume you didn’t. Chanyeol’s had his phone confiscated by yours truly. I think you guys need to talk.”

They don’t ever talk, though.

 

 

_December_

Baekhyun had to get a job. Well, two actually. With Chanyeol being gone, he couldn’t hold up both halves of the rent using only the money he’d saved up from summer jobs when he was younger. During the week, he worked as a sales associate for a popular clothing store. His cute face helped him get high sales each week and decent hours. At night on the weekends, he worked as a waiter at a nearby bar. Alone, the tips me made were enough to pay the rent. He used the rest of the money Christmas shopping.

Kyungsoo let Baekhyun know two weeks in advance that he was going to have a Christmas party and that Chanyeol would be there, but also that Baekhyun was required to go if he wanted to maintain his current status as Kyungsoo’s Best Friend.

Baekhyun spent an entire night overthinking whether or not he should buy Chanyeol a Christmas present. He decided that he’d just get something impersonal like a gift card, just in case.

The night before the party, Baekhyun didn’t sleep at all. He didn’t want it to be awkward or uncomfortable, but he and Chanyeol hadn’t seen each other in months. What if they had to speak? He already knew that Kyungsoo was going to make them.

“Hey, Soo,” Baekhyun threw in a cough over the phone, two hours before the party.

“I don’t care how fake-sick you are. You’re coming to my party even if I have to come pick you up.”

“What makes you think I’ll leave my home?”

“I’ll set it on fire, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun squeaked a bit. He knew that Kyungsoo wouldn’t _actually_ set the complex on fire, but Kyungsoo’s tone made everything seem serious. It was a talent of his, really. “So if I don’t go, you’ll try to kill me?”

“Or seriously injure, yes,” Kyungsoo said, his tone much lighter. Baekhyun’s best friend sighed a bit. “Please come. I know you don’t want to, and I really can’t force you, but you haven’t seen Jongin or Minseok in weeks. You haven’t seen Sehun in _months._ Everyone misses you.”

“What about Chanyeol?”

“Just come for like two hours and I’ll even _help_ you with an excuse to leave,” Kyungsoo offered. “But you never know, you might actually have fun.”

Baekhyun thought about it. He really did. He doubted that he’d have fun, but for Kyungsoo’s sake, he really wanted to consider that he might. After some annoyed groans and a few “ _pretty please_ ” from the host of the party, Baekhyun finally conceded. “Okay,” he succumbed. “But only because I miss Minseok and everyone.”

Chanyeol wasn’t even there when Baekhyun showed up. Jongin immediately hugged him, Minseok following closely behind. Sehun towered over him and gave him a pat on the head that seemed awfully condescending. Baekhyun grounded him with a nice elbow to the gut and a _respect your elders, kiddo._

It was fun. It really was. Baekhyun had a few hot chocolates with whipped cream Smirnoff and relaxed. When Chanyeol showed up, Baekhyun even offered him a smile that Chanyeol casually returned. His hair was shorter, pushed back and a dark charcoal. It suited him. Baekhyun felt like he should say something to acknowledge it, but he wasn’t sure what was okay and what wasn’t. When he used to complement Chanyeol’s changes in hair color and style, it usually went with a corny pick up line and a wink. He couldn’t do that anymore, so he just kept his mouth shut.

Jongdae sat between the two of them at the dinner table, and it worked that way. It helped establish a literal distance between them when everyone talked. They even talked a bit to each other too. Kyungsoo looked ecstatic through most of the dinner.

They played games after everyone had more to drink. Some of the games were boring, but once everyone was at least a little bit tipsy they started playing some dancing game on the TV. Jongin won every round, but it was fun nonetheless. Baekhyun loved every second of it. Chanyeol did too. It was evident on his face when his turn came up. He smiled the whole way through, teeth showing and laughing his ass off. When he finished, earning a solid, single star and the lowest score, he was breathless and sweating ever so slightly. Baekhyun couldn’t help himself but stare at Chanyeol; he’d forgotten how beautiful the boy was. It left him feeling nervous with a lump in his throat. Chanyeol, out of habit, turned to Baekhyun for approval with a huge grin across his face, but was only met with Baekhyun’s back as he hightailed it into the kitchen.

Sehun watched him go and offered Chanyeol a shrug.

Baekhyun was panicking. He thought he could do this. Fists gripping the counter so hard that his knuckles turned white, he tried his best to steady his breathing but it was useless. He just kept seeing Chanyeol whenever he closed his eyes to relax; Chanyeol smiling and laughing, Chanyeol’s face twisting into something that looked like pain but Baekhyun could almost hear the deep moans of his name again, Chanyeol’s sad expression as he told Baekhyun he was leaving him. It all was too much for Baekhyun.

He hoped it would be Kyungsoo’s strong hand when he felt someone place theirs on his shoulder, but it was much too big and a different kind of familiar from his best friend’s. His heart started to race all over again.

“Can we talk?” Chanyeol asked, voice low and eyes not making contact with Baekhyun’s.

Baekhyun wanted to say no. He wanted to slink away from Chanyeol’s grasp and go home. “Okay,” is what happened instead.

Kyungsoo looked more nervous than Baekhyun as he and Chanyeol headed for the back door, but Baekhyun offered him a curt nod and Kyungsoo gave one back, seeming to understand. It was so cold outside, and even pulling his arms inside his sleeves didn’t help to warm Baekhyun up. Chanyeol sat the two of them on one of Kyungsoo’s benches in his back yard.

“Let me know if I’m making you uncomfortable,” Chanyeol said.

 _I’m uncomfortable! I’m really fucking uncomfortable!_ “I will.”

Chanyeol slid closer and wrapped an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders, instantly making the small boy feel warmer. It was quiet. For a long time, they were practically silent. Every time Baekhyun looked over, Chanyeol had this delicate smile on his features.

“What did you want to talk about?” Baekhyun asked right as Chanyeol was saying, “I missed this.”

“Sorry,” Chanyeol blurted. “I didn’t mean to cut you off.”

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun chuckled, then repeated his question.

Chanyeol looked so uneasy and nervous, and Baekhyun hated what it did to his heart; the way it beat so erratically and the way his breathing grew harder in turn.  He was dying to know what Chanyeol was so nervous to talk to him about, but also half excited to be near him again.

“Well,” Chanyeol started, laughing nervously. The hand not wrapped around Baekhyun was playing with the hem of his sleeve. “I guess I just… miss you. I miss you a lot, Baek.”

And his heart fluttered. “And so…?”

“Do I really have to say it?”

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol, noticing the way his memory had captured everything about Chanyeol perfectly and wondering if maybe this moment was actually just a dream, like any moment he would wake up. The curve of Chanyeol’s bottom lip and the wide, innocent shape of his eyes was just too perfect. His voice was deep and sultry just like it had been three months ago. Baekhyun was in awe of every little detail of Chanyeol as he waited for the boy’s next words.

“I want to try again. At us, I mean,’ Chanyeol looked Baekhyun directly in the eyes this time, like he wanted Baekhyun to see every ounce of sincerity in his eyes. Even then, Baekhyun didn’t know what to do.

Baekhyun stood up. “What?”

“I want a second chance for us, Baek. Not a day has gone by where I haven’t regret breaking up with you.”

“But you left. You said you weren’t in love with me.”

“I was wrong.”

Chanyeol was right there with Baekhyun. Every step that he took away, Chanyeol was taking two forward until Baekhyun was in his arms. Baekhyun accepted it, resting his head against Chanyeol’s shoulder and breathing in a scent that was so familiarly foreign that it made him dizzy. They stayed like that, and eventually Baekhyun lifted his arms up to wrap around Chanyeol’s middle.

“What do you say?” Chanyeol whispered into his hair. “Want to give it another go?”

Baekhyun thought about it. Every cell in his body was telling him, _No, don’t trust him!_ Here Chanyeol was, though. He was right in front of him, telling Baekhyun how much he wants him back and seeming to be serious. The spring wedding flashed before his eyes, followed by their long drive, and then the breakup came back. Inhaling Chanyeol’s scent deeply and focusing only on the feeling of the tall boy against him, Baekhyun let it go.

He pushed away from Chanyeol, let him go too. “I can’t.”

Chanyeol only stared.

“You left and it hurt and I wasn’t okay. I wasn’t okay at all for a long time. You can’t just come back like none of that happened and expect me to be like, ‘ _Oh! Okay, Chanyeol! Sure! Let me give you another opportunity to break my heart!_ ’” Baekhyun was practically hyperventilating, tearing at his hair. Chanyeol reached out to touch him in a sort of affectionate or comforting gesture, but Baekhyun pushed his hand away. “You don’t get to be indecisive and expect me to go along with it every step of the way.”

“Baekhyun-“

“No, Chanyeol. It’s over between us. It has been for months and that was your doing,” he cried out at the taller boy who looked so incredibly guilty and hurt that Baekhyun’s heart was breaking all over again. “I don’t want to do it again. I can’t do it again.”

He turned around and came face to face with a shocked Kyungsoo and Jongdae. It was like they knew what Chanyeol was going to do and expected a completely different answer out of Baekhyun. Wiping at his eyes, Baekhyun pushed between the two of them with an _I’m going home now_ and headed for his car. The drive home was rough, and he had to pull over at one point because he couldn’t see, but he eventually made it. It didn’t hurt like the initial breakup, but it definitely still hurt.

Baekhyun sat on his couch in silence for a while. There was going to be no spring wedding. No long drives to the middle of nowhere where Baekhyun could see the stars. No more nights spent laughing with Chanyeol and no more spontaneous dates.

Kyungsoo tried to call him. Jongdae did too, but he turned his phone off.

While Baekhyun was hurting, he also felt somewhat lighter. He didn’t want to think that he had gotten some sort of revenge out of rejecting Chanyeol, like he had only done it out of spite, but something about knowing that Chanyeol was hurting too made him feel a bit better. Like he wasn't alone in this. 

Chanyeol and he had three years of good times, great times, but Baekhyun learned that everything comes to an end. Sometimes things work out, and other times they don’t. This time they didn’t, but the hurting would end eventually too.

It would end for both of them.


End file.
